Fire consumes garage, contents in Frankfort

Fire consumed a garage used to make automotive repairs on Palmer Street on Thursday afternoon, leaving the structure as a total loss.

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By STEPHANIE SORRELL-WHITE, GateHouse New York

Uticaod

By STEPHANIE SORRELL-WHITE, GateHouse New York

Posted Dec. 26, 2013 at 5:02 PM

By STEPHANIE SORRELL-WHITE, GateHouse New York

Posted Dec. 26, 2013 at 5:02 PM

Fire consumed a garage used to make automotive repairs on Palmer Street on Thursday afternoon, leaving the structure as a total loss.

Frankfort Fire Chief Charles Conigliaro said during a telephone interview Friday the call came in around 3:20 p.m. for a structure fire at 239 Second Ave.

He said firefighters arriving at the scene found a fully involved structure fire on the Palmer Street side of the property.

"It was a one-and-a-half story garage, with an adjacent addition on the garage," said Conigliaro. "It had quite an extensive workshop with tools."

Conigliaro said the owner, who spotted the fire, removed some vehicles and snowmobiles located on the exterior of the structure. The owner reportedly received a minor burn to his hand when removing one of the vehicles. No other injuries were reported.

Conigliaro said the attic "collapsed down to the first floor" during the fire, which were among some of the challenges in fighting the blaze.

Firefighters working at the scene removed tires located near the garage and tore apart a fence located next to the garage to eliminate an exposure.

People gathered to watch the fire from across the street, as thick, gray smoke rose from the remains of the structure. A picture on the Herkimer County Fires Twitter account shows the garage fully engulfed in flames.

Conigliaro said it took about 40 minutes to put the fire out.

The scene was cleared at 5:11 p.m.

"We're still doing an investigation to determine the cause of the origin of the fire," said Conigliaro.

A neighbor's garage reportedly sustained minor damage.

The Ilion Fire Department assisted at the scene. The Mohawk Volunteer Fire Department was on stand-by for Frankfort.